Car-door mechanism



May 6, 1930. w. E. WINE I CAR DOOR MECHANISM Filed Oct. 1, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet Hum gvwenfop May 6, 1930.

W. E. WINE CAR DQOR MECHANISM Filed 001:. l, 1925 2 heet -Sheet 2 Patented May 6, 1930 Pars FFICE WILLIAM WINE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO CAR-DOOR MECHANISM Application filed Qcto'eer 1, 1925. Serial No. 59,871.

This invention relates to car door mechanism, and its primary object is to provide simple means for efficiently maintaining hinged car doors in closed position. A more specific object of the invention is to combine a locking member carried by the door with a stiffener or reinforcing member also carried by the door in such manner that the thrust or reaction of the door locking devices are efliciently transmitted to the door when the latter is closed and the car is loaded.

Generally stated, the principal feature of the invention consists in providing a hinged car door with a stiflener which extends at an angle to the hinge axis and in movably mounting on the door in overlapping relation to the stiffener a latch which is adapted to cooperate with means mounted on the car body so as to retain the door in closed position, means being provided for maintaining the latch in operative relation to the door and the said latch being interposed between the door stiffener and the means last mentioned.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing the hinged door with a plurality of door stiffeners extending at an angle to each other, one of the stiifeners extending at an angle to the hinge axis of the door and the other being disposed adjacent to and substantially parallel with the free edge of the door remote from the hinge axis, and in combining therewith a latch movably mounted on the door, means secured to the said stiffeni ers for maintaining the latch in operative relation to the door, andmeans carried by the car body for engaging the latch to prevent the door from executing an opening movement.

Other features of the invention involving advantageous structural details and relations of parts will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims 1-- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a car equipped with a door mechanism embodying the invention, the parts being shown in the positions they 50 occupy when the door is closed and locked.

Figure 2 is a detail end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the mechanism, portions of the car body and door being shown in section.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 44, Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a detail View of a portion of the mechanism partly in inverted plan and partly in section.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the latch carried by the door.

Door locking mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention is especially suitable for application to hopper cars and that type of car has therefore been chosen for the purpose of explaining the invention, but it will be understood that the mechanism may be applied to cars of other types.

In the drawings 1 indicates the side sheet of a car hopper, and 2 is a swingingly mounted door adapted to closethe discharge opening of the hopper. The door, which is preferably of the sheet metal type having marginal stiffening flanges, may be hinged to the car body in any well known or suitable manner. Secured to the outer face of the door and extending at an angle to the hinge axis thereof is a door stiffener or reinforcing member 3 which may be and preferably is provided with an outwardly extending flange 4. l/Vhcn a door stiffener of this form is employed it may conveniently be made of a section of angle iron. Bordering the free edge of the door remote from its hinge axis is a door stiffener or spreader 5 extending at an angle to the stiffener or reinforcement 3 before mentioned. The stifiener 5 is preferably a flanged memher and may advantageously be of Z-bar form having a downwardly extending flange 6 which overlaps and is riveted to the door 2 and the reinforcing member 3 and having an upwardly extending flange 7 spaced out wardly from the door by means of the web 8 connecting the said flanges.

Swingingly mounted upon the door 2 outwardly of and in overlapping relation to the door stiffener 3 is a latch 9 adapted to cooperate with means mounted on the car body so as to retain the door in closed position.

This latch not only overlaps the stiffener 3 but also preferably overlaps the stiffener 5 as well, the web 8 of the latter being slotted as indicated at 10 (see Fig. 8) to afford clearance suflicient for permitting the latch to swing toward the center of the car so as to be brought to unlocked position. The swinging latch is maintained in operative relation to the door by means of a bracket 11 whose upper end is secured to the stiffener 3 and whose lower end is securely riveted to the upwardly extending flange 7 of the rein-forcing member 5, the lower end of the bracket preferably being disposed inwardly of the said flange. The latch9 is pivotal] y mounted upon the bracket 11 by being formed with a cylindrical portion or trunnion 12 which is received by a correspondingly cylindrical opening or bearing 13 with which the bracket is provided. In alinement with the axis of the pivot boss or trunnion 12 of the latch the latter is formed with a squared projection l i which extends outwardly beyond the bracket 11 so as to provide means enabling a wrench to be employed for rotating the latch 9 if at any time it is desired to apply power to the latch in such manner.

Rigidly mounted on the car body, preferably by being secured to the angle iron stiffener 15 attached to the outer face of the slope sheet 16 of the hopper, is a hook member 17 with which the latch 9 cooperates to prevent an opening movement of the door. This hook is preferably formed with a single shoulder 18 for cooperating with the swinging latch 19. but in order that the door may be sustained in a partially closed position as well as in fully closed .position, the said latch may advantageously be fashioned with a plurality of flanges, 19 and 20, respectively, which are spaced from each other to afford a recess 21 into which the point of the hook 17 adjacent the shoulder 18 may enter. By this means, as will be readily understood, the door 2 may be prevented from executing an openin movement either by the engagement of the f ange 19 of the latch with the shoulder 18 of the hook, or by the engagement of the flange 20 of the latch with the said shoulder. \V'hen the flange 19 cooperates with the hook member 17 the door is supported in partially closed position, and when the flange 20 of the latch cooperates with the hook member the door is held fully closed. To facilitate the swinging of the latch 9 toward the center of the car the door 2 is swung toward closed ix-osition the outer faces of the flanges 19 and 20 of the latch may be beveled as shown so as to efficiently cooperate with the inclined approach plane or face 22 of the hook. A cam 23, rotatably mounted upon the bracket 11 by means of a rivet 24 passing through the flange 7 of the stiffener 5 and through the plate of the door, is adapted to be forced into engagement with the latch '9 to thereby prevent said latch from accidentally assuming a position permitting the door to open.

To enable the door to be readily forced from a partially closed to a fully closed position, means are preferably provided for permitting the use for that purpose of a removable lever or prying bar 25. To this end a fulcrum member in the form of a plate 26 may advantageously be riveted to the side sheet 1 of the hopper in such position that its free end extends beyond the hopper discharge opening and the adjacent edge of the door 2. The member 26 is recessed or formed with an opening'27 through which a prying bar or lever may be inserted and brought into engagement with the door 2 or a member secured to the latter. After the door has cen forced to fully closed position by manipulating the lever 25 the lever is removed and 'thecam 23 is rotated so as to lock "the latch 9 in door securing position.

It will be appreciated that a door mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention is not only simple in construction but also provides a short stiff beam-like latching member for operatively locking the outer end of the door spreader and the lower end of the vertical door stiffener 'to the car body.

I claim '1. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a door stiffener having a plurality of flanges, said stiffener being secured to the door and extending at an angle to the hinge axis thereof, a latch movably mounted on said door outwardly of said stiffener, means overlapping said latch for maintaining the latter in operative relation to said door, said latch being interposed between said stiffener and said means, and means mounted on the car body for cooperati'ng with said latch to retain said door in closed position.

2. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door having marginal flanges, of a plurality of door stiffener-s extending at an angle to each other, one of said stiifeners being adjacent to and substantially parallel with the free edge of the door and the other extending at an angle to the hinge axis of said door, a latch carried by and movable with respect to said door, a member secured to each of said stiffeners for maintaining said latch in operative relation to said door, and n'ieans mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position.

3. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door having marginal flanges, of a door stifl'ener having a plurality of flanges, said stiffener being secured to the door and extending at an angle to the hinge axis thereof, a latch movably mounted on said door in overlapping relation to said stiffener, means mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position, and a door stifi'ener secured to said door adjacent the free edge thereof, said latch and said last named stiffener having overlapping portions.

4. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door having marginal flanges, of a plurality of overlapping door stifieners extending at an angle to each other, a latch movably mounted on said door overlying portions of each door stiffener, and means mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position.

5. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a door stifiener extending at an angle to the hinge axis of said door and terminating adjacent the free edge of the latter, a door stiffener secured to said door and extending substantially parallel with the free edge thereof, portions of said stifteners being in overlapped relation, a latch movably mounted on said door in overlapping relation to said stiiieners, a bracket engaging said latch to maintain the latter in operative relation to said door, and means mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position.

6. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door having marginal flanges, 01 a plurality of flanged stifleners secured to said door and extending at an angle to each other, a latch movably mounted on said door, said latch engaging said stitieners, and means mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position.

7. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a plurality of stiffening members secured to said door and extending at an angle to each other, one of said stitfenin g members being flanged and extending substantially parallel to the free edge of the door, a latch movably mounted on said door, said latch having portions extending on opposite sides of said flanged stiffening member, means mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position, and means engageable with said latch for preventing accidental release of the latter.

8. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door having its hinge axis disposed transversely of the car, of a pivoted latch movably mounted on the door, said latch having a portion projecting beyond the free edge of said door remote from the hinge axis of the latter, means mounted on the car body for cooperating with the projecting portion of the latch to retain said door in closed position, and a rotatable cam engagable with a portion of said latch extending at an angle to the hinge axis of the door to prevent accidental release of the latter.

9. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door of a latch pivotally mounted thereon and having a portion projecting beyond the free edge of the door remote from the hinge axis of the latter, means mounted on the car body for cooperating with said latch to retain said door in closed position, said latch being adapted to be disengaged from said means by swinging inwardly toward the center of the car, and means for preventing said latch from becoming accidentally disengaged from said means.

' 10. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a latch pivotally mounted thereon and having a portion projecting beyond an edge thereof, a hook member rigidly mounted on the car body and adapted to cooperate with said latch to prevent an opening movement of said door, and means for preventing accidental unlocking of said latch, said hook member being formed with a shoulder, and said latch being formed with a recess to receive a portion of said hook member, said recess being bordered by a plurality of flanges, one or said flanges being adapted to cooperate with said shoulder to maintain the door in partially closed position, and one of said flanges being adapted to cooperate with said shoulder to maintain said door in fully closed position.

11. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a stiffening member secured thereto and extending at an angle to the hinge axis of the door, a flanged stiltening member secured to said door and extending at an angle to said first named stiffening member, a bracket secured to said stifiening members, a latch pivotally mounted on said bracket, a hook member mounted on the car body and adapted to cooperate with said latch to retain said door in closed position, and means for preventing said latch from accidentally assuming a position permitting said door to open, said flanged stiffening member having a flange secured to said door and a flange overlying said latch.

12. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a Z-shaped stiffening member secured to the door and having a web projecting outwardly from the latter, said stiffening member also having a plurality of flanges one of which contacts with and is secured to the door and the other of which is spaced outwardly therefrom, the web of said stiffener being formed with a slot, a bracket secured to the door and the outwardly spaced flange of the stiffening member, a latch pivotally mounted on the door, said latch extending through the slot formed in the web of the stiffening member, and means secured to the car body for cooperating with the latch to maintain the door in closed position.

13. In a railway car having a hopper provided with a slope sheet, the combination with a hinged door for closing the hopper and dis- [iii charge opening, of a stiffening member having a plurality of flanges one of which is secured to the slope sheet of the hopper adjacent the discharge opening and the other of which projects downwardly therefrom, a

stiffening member secured to the outer face of the door, a latch'mov'ably mounted on the door in overlapping relation to the door stiffening member, and a stationary member hav- 10 ing portions secured to each of the flanges of the slope sheet stiffening member, said stationary member being adapted to cooperate with the latch to support the door in closed position.

15 14. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a Z-shapeld stilte'ning member having a plurality of flanges and a conn cting Web, one of said flanges contacting with and being secured to the outer 29 time of the doc andthe other of said flanges being spaced outwardly therefrom, a bracket interposed between the door and the outwardly spaced flange of the stilfcning member, a latch pivotally mounted on the bracket and having portions disposed on opposite sides of the web of the stiffening member, and meanssecured to the car body for cooperating with the latch to maintain the door in closed position.

30 In testimony xvhereof'I afiix my signature.

lVILLIAM E. WINE. 

